Device for moistening gummed surfaces



Sept. 19, 1933. c. D. RYAN 1,927,806

DEVICE FOR MOISTENING GUMMED SURFACES Filed May 16. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR Commodore D. Ryan.

Sept. 19; 1933. c. N 1,927,806

DEVICE FOR MOIS'IENING GUMMED SURFACES Filed May 16. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 19, 1933 PATENT OFFICE Y DEVICE FOR MOISTEN'ING GUMMED SURFACES Commodore D. Ryan, Los Angeles, Calif., as-

signor, by meme assignments, to National Postal Meter Company, a corporation of California Application May 16, 1929. Serial No. 363,420

11 Claims. (CL 91-43) My invention relates to the art of moistenin gummed surfaces and is particularly applicable to the moistening of gummed envelope flaps preparatory to sealing the same.

It is common practice in envelope sealing machines for the gummed flap to be moistened by contact witha wick-like piece of material saturated with water. I have found that the wick in these machines collects gum which during even a short period of disuse hardens and renders the wick inoperative and also ferments resulting in a very unpleasant odor. Another disadvantage of the wick is that it wears out quickly, requiring the machine to be laid up for replacement of the wick at rather frequent intervals.

It is an object of my invention to provide a method of and apparatus for intermittent moistening of gummed surfaces which will eliminate the use of a wick with its above noted disadvantages and yet possess all the advantages of the wick.

The moistening of envelope flaps where the flap is beneath the envelope and the gummed surface disposed upwardly has proved a very diflicult problem.

It is accordinglya further object of my invention to provide such a method and apparatus which is particularly adapted to moistenupwardly disposed gummed surfaces.

In sealing envelopes, one difllculty has been that the moisteners in general use moisten the entire flap which frequently causes the flap to stick to the letter enclosed in the envelope.

Another object of my invention, therefore, is to'provide sucha method and apparatus by which gummed areas may be selectively moistened to the exclusion of adjacent nongummed area.

Yet another object is to provide such a method and apparatus in which said selective moistening is automatically accomplished.

Still further objects of my invention include the provision of an apparatus for intermittent moistening of gummed surfaces in which the moistening device may be quickly rendered opera-- tive or inoperative atwill; the provision of such a control means in which the supply of liquid for the moistening device is turned on or ofi according as the device is in operative or inoperative position; the provision of such a control means which will indicate at all times whether the moistener which is normally concealed is in operative or inoperative position; and the provision of an improved moistening device which will separate flaps from their envelopes with practically no possibility of jamming the latter.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages is set forth in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:---

Fig. 1 is.a plan view, showing a fragment of a mailing machine including a conveyonor envelope path, a moistener constructed in accordance I with my invention and its angularity relative to the trend of the envelope path.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation showing the inclination of the moistenertransversely of the envelope path.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, section of the moistener, valve and feed pipe.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the moistener in operative position.

Fig. 5 is a view simflarv to Fig. 4 andfshowing the moistener in an inoperative position.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the moistener arm of my invention.

Referringspeciflcally to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of my invention illustrated therein is indicated by numeral 1 and includes a frame 2 upon which is provided a conveyor 3. The conveyor 3 includes flanged pulley wheels 4, mounted upon shafts 5 upon which are carried belts 6 which are preferably formed out of a resilient material with a high coeflicient of friction such as rubber. Also included in the conveyor 3 is a pair of superimposed idler friction wheels 6:: which are supported on a shaft posite edges of these envelopes being advanced at thesamev speed owing to their being pressed against the belts 6 by the idler wheels.

The numeral '7 designates a valve casing, including a conical seat 8, a base flange 9 for its support as by screws 10, and an inlet port 11, for communication with a water source, such as the tank 12 and power driven pump 13. The valve proper 14, is formed tubular for at least a portion of its length and provided with a port 15, for communication with the inlet port 11; with manipulating means such as the handle 16, which may serve as an index to the valve position and the usual retainer such as the washer and nut 1'7.

The moistener 18, perse, is a tubiform memis provided .ber, preferably a length of commercial tubing,

closed end and continuing arlength comprehendv ing the path of the gummed areas of the envelopes as carried on the conveyor 3, a discharge slot 20.

. Port 15 of the valve 14 is continued to connect with a feed pipe 21 removably mounted as by coupling 22, thereby providing means to continuously supply liquid at-the upper end of the moistener 18 when the valve 14 is'turned to ,seal position. Moistener 18 is .provided on the under side below the discharge slot 20, with admin port 23 to carry oiT the excess liquid through re-- turn pipe 24 to tank 12.

Valve casing 7 is provided with two' stops 25 to limit the rotary movements of the valve 14 and handle 16 to seal and nonseal positions. At the seal position as shown in Figs. 2 and a valve 14 is open and allows liquid to flow through feed pipe 21 to moistener 18, with chisel point 19 so positioned relative to theltravel of envelopes that it will be inserted between an envelope E and its flap F in a moistening position. In nonseal position as shown in Fig; 5, valve 14 isclosed against passage of liquid and the moistener l8 and the chisel point 19 have'coincidentally been moved to a plane whereby the point 19 will not enter between the flap and the envelope. Accordingly, the flap, which is folded against the envelope as the latter is carried on the conveyor 3, will remain in this position as the envelope passes over the chisel point 19, as shown in Fig.

5. This willprevent contact of the upturned gummed surface of the flap with the apertured lower surface of themcistener arm 18 with the result that the flap will not be moistened. It is thus seen that the moistener 18 can be very quickly changed from seal, or operative, to non-seal, or inoperative, position by turning the handlelfi between the stops 25. When the moistener arm 18 is in operative or seal position, valve 14 is on and a stream of moistening liquid flows from the tube 21 and runs downwardly through the moistenertube 18 owing to the inclination thereof. This stream of liquid rests on the lower wall of'the'tube- 18 directly over the slot 20. This slot, however, is of such a narrow dimension that the surface tension of the liquid 'is sumcient to prevent passage of the liquid through the slot until this surface tension is broken. When, during the normal operation of the machine with the moistener 18 in sealing position, there is a pause in thepassage of envelopes through the machine, there will be an excess of liquid flowing through the moistener 18' which will be discharged from the port 23 and will flow through the return pipe 24 into the tank 12.

The moistening liquid most generally used is water and the slot 20 is preferably ten one-,

thousandths of an inch in width. The slot 20 retains the moistening liquid within the moistener 18 excepting for the over-flow through the port 23, unless the lower surface of the moistener adjacent'the slot 20 is wiped by a surface which will break the surface tension of the liquid in the slot. With the slot 20 of approximately the size indicated, the ordinary clean surface of the paper envelope flap will not break this tension when drawn across the slot 20. The gummed area of such flap, however, has an aflinity for the moistening liquid and readily breaks the surface tension of the liquid in the slot, thereby causing flow of liquid onto the gummed area. As soon as such gummed area passes out of contact with the slot, of course, the flow of liquid therethrough ceases. Y I 4 I This faculty 01' my invention is a great improvement over previous moistening devices in that leakage of moistening liquid is eliminated and clogging of the moistening device is impossible owing to the fact that the gummed surface of the flap touches the moistener practically only in one. line of contact and instantly passes out of contact with the moistener after being wet bymoistening liquid. Furthermore the nonbibulous material of which the moistener is made, which is preferably metal, resists damage by contact with the liquid-and the gum, much longer thanthe bibulous material of the wicks in general use.

It is also quite an advantage that moistening liquid is applied only to the gummed area of the flap whereas heretofore liquid was applied to the entire inner surface of the flap, frequently causing spreading of the gum onto the portion of the flap which contacts with the enclosure in the envelope, with the result that the enclosure was stuck tight to the inner surface of the flap.

It is thus seen that I have produced a novel method of and apparatus for applying a moistening liquid to gummed surfaces and particularly such a method and apparatus which is applicable to intermittent moistening of gummed areas such as takes place in an envelope sealing machine.

The base flange 9 bears such angular relation to the valve casing 7 as to bodily dispose the moistener 18 at an incline both transversely and longitudinally relative to the trend of envelopes as carried by the conveyor. This facilitates the smooth movement of envelope E over the moistener 18 and brings the chisel edge 19 into positive shaving relation with the lower surface of the envelope E so as to insure separation of the flap F from. the envelope and passage of this flap beneath the moistener arm 18 when the latter is in operative position. Positiveness. of the movement just described is insured and jamming made practically impossible by the continuous slope of the leading edge of the moistener arm 18 in the direction of travel of the envelope E; there is thus no transversely disposed surface nor reentrant angle em bodied in the leading edge of the moistener is by which the envelope could be caught and held. Thus contact between the envelope and the arm results in a continuous deflecting of the envelope upwards and over the arm 18.

I claim:

1. In a moistening device the combination of: a conveyor for envelopes with flaps folded; an arm to separate the folded flaps and moisten the gummed areas thereof as said envelopes travel along said conveyor; means for supplying liquid to said arm; a rotatable valve member controlling said supply, said arm being supported on said valve member so that as said supply is shut off or turned on, said arm is moved out of or into operative position.

2. A combination as in claim 1 in which the position of said arm, which is normally hidden, is indicated by means provided on said valve member.

having a water chamber therein and inclined upward relative to said plane, said am having its 3. In a moistening device, the combination of:

upper end positioned to engage under surfaces of envelopes conveyed in said plane, this end of said arm being also inclined longitudinally in the direction of travel of said envelopes; and means for supplying water to the upper end of said chamber so that this water flows downwardly along said chamber, there being a capillary slot formed longitudinally in the bottom portion of said arm, said slot being of such width as to normally prevent the escape throughsaid slot of water in said chamber under atmospheric pressure.

4. In a moistening device, the combination-of: a conveyer for conveying envelopes; a moistener arm extending into contact with said envelopes as they are being conveyed, said arm being adapted to separate the flaps from said envelopes and moisten the same; and means for rotating said moistener arm substantially on its longitudinal axis between moistening and non-moistening positions.

5. A combinationas in claim 4 in which said moistener arm, when in non-moistening position, does not separate the flap from the body of the envelope.

6. In a moistening device, the combination of: a conveyer for envelopes with flaps folded along a substantially horizontal plane; a tubular moistener arm of relatively small cross-section extending upwardly from beneath saidconveyer so that the tip of said arm contacts each of said envelopes, there being an edge on the end of said arm which normally slides between each envelope and its flap to deflect the latter downwardly beneath the arm, there being a capillary slot'formed longitudinally in a lower portion of said moistener arm; and means for supplying water to the interior of said arm so that flaps of envelopes deflected past the lower surfaces of said arm are moistened by water from said capillary slot, said arm being mounted on a valve the .axis of which is disposed close to parallelism tending upwardly from beneath said conveyer so that the tip of said arm contacts each of said envelopes, there being an edge on the end of said arm which normally slides between each envelope and its flap to deflect the latter downward- 1y beneath the arm, there being a capillary slot formed longitwnally in a lower portion of said moistener arm; and means for supplying water to the interior of said arm so that flaps of envelopes deflected past the lower surfaces of said arm are moistened by, waterfrom said capillary slot, said'arm being mounted on a valve the axis of which is disposed close to parallelism with the longitudinal axis of said arm, said valve controlling said supply of water to said arm, said valve being rotatable to rotate said arm from operative position, in which it separates flaps from their envelopes, to inoperative position, in which it does not accomplish this, said valve being turned off when said arm is in inoperative position and turned on when said arm is in operative position. a

8. In a moistening device, the combination of a tubular moistening arm having a capillary slot liquid feed means formed along the bottom portion thereof, an envelope conveyor operable for wiping the inner surface of the flap of each envelope across said capillary slot liquid feed means, and means for supplying liquid to said arm under atmospheric pressure.

9. A moistening device including a hollow moistening arm fabricated to a relatively flat point at its distal end for separating the flaps from envelopes conveyed therepast, means for supporting the other end of the moistening arm, a liquid feed pipe carried by the supporting means and extending into the moistening arm to adjacent the distal end thereof, means. for feeding liquid through said feed pipe, and said tubular moistening arm having a capillary slot liquid feed means operable for moistening the gummedsurfaces of the envelope flaps passed thereover.

10. A moistening device including a hollow moistening arm fabricated to a relatively flat point at its distal end for separating the flaps from their envelopes conveyed therepast, a supporting means for the other end of the moisten- 115 ing arm, a liquid feed pipe carried by the supporting means and extending into the moistening arm to adjacent the distal end thereof, means for feeding. liquid through said feed pipe, and

said tubular moistening arm having a capillary slot liquid feed means formed along the bottom portion thereof for moistening the gummed surfaces of the envelope flaps passed thereover.

11. A moistening device including a hollow moistening arm closed at its distal end, a supporting means for the other end of the moistening arm, a liquid feed pipe carried by the supporting means, means for feeding liquid through the said feed pipe, said moistening arm having a capillary slot liquid feed means formed along v the bottom portion thereof, and said moistening arm having a drain port for carrying off the excess liquid.

COMMODORE D. RYAN. 

